Mission Statement
ExtortionLetterInfo.com (ELI) is dedicated to reporting information and providing commentary on Getty Images Settlement Demand Letters and other related stock photo demand letter programs. Clearly, ELI is not endorsed or authorized by Getty Images or any sanctioning body or formal organization. However, every effort is being made to provide factual information and professional opinions regarding Getty Images’ (and the respective companies’) “practice” of issuing “Settlement Letters” that we consider “legalized extortion”. We will not engage in purposeless and reckless rants and name-calling here.
As Lead Contributors of this website, we believe what they are doing is technically legal but ethically and morally questionable. “The Letter” bullies and preys upon the legal ignorance of the letter recipients. This website attempts to discover, report, and comment on the facts in a civil and orderly way. This website also provides assistance in defending unaware and unintended victims of this Letter.
There are two sides to every story and disagreement. Recipients of the Letter know Getty Images side. This website will assemble the stories and legal arguments of “the other side”. We trust this website will be both helpful and beneficial to you.
Sincerely,
Matthew Chan & Oscar Michelen
Why is This Being Called “Legalized Extortion” and an “Extortion Letter Scheme”?
This is a descriptive and colloquial term for Getty Images’ deliberate, malicious, bullying, and presumptuous letter campaign that engages in what is tantamount to legalized extortion. The letter in its entirety is both well-worded and well-constructed. It has been clearly been well thought out. Because of the deliberate construction and planning that goes into this letter campaign, it qualifies as a Scheme.
The Letter automatically presumes guilt of the recipient. The letter recipient is expected to provide proof of their innocence. In effect, the letter recipient is presumed guilty unless they prove their innocence.
Although the letter does provide for the possibility that the letter recipient was unaware and unintended of the alleged infringement, the Letter takes a heavy-handed and unforgiving approach of stating that they are responsible for all alleged “damages and liability”. The Letter automatically presumes Getty Images has been “damaged” whether or not that is actually true or proven.
Because this scheme relies heavily on the letter recipients ignorance of due legal process and people’s inherent fear of legal conflict as a result of that ignorance, it is considered by many as legalized extortion.
Given the overall assessment of the situation, the term “legalized extortion” was coined to better describe Getty Images very aggressive letter campaign.
In November 2011, we recorded a video explaining the usage of these terms within this website.
The ELI website has been the product of countless hours of hard work put in over the years. The information we have diligently researched and reported on is to assist the ever-growing community of Getty & Stock Photo Extortion Letter recipients.